Projects

In the Solidarity Academy, we reflect on old and new forms of solidarity and sustainable solutions to contemporary issues. We look for ways to strengthen local forms of solidarity. The substantive focus is on the just transition and the migration and refugee issue.

One of UCSIA's long-standing partners is VUHP, the Flemish University and College Pastorate. Every year, we work with them to develop a seminar for pastoral leaders in Flemish universities and Catholic colleges.

UCSIA has a focus on the place of religious education in Flanders. A regular feature of the UCSIA programme is the annual seminar for teachers of Roman Catholic religion in secondary education. Every other year, an inter-religious workshop is on the agenda as well. During these workshops, we invite teachers of Islam education and teachers of Roman Catholic religion to enter into a dialogue with each other.

UCSIA organizes the annual interdisciplinary winter school ‘European Solidarity in the Making’ at the University of Antwerp for master and doctoral students in collaboration with the Antwerp Summer & Winter School.

This chair shares original and critical insights on social, economic, political and historical problems in Belgium, Europe and the world. Every year in May, on the occasion of Rerum Novarum, a public lecture is organised.

How can companies do business in fair and responsible ways? This chair provides a platform for topics related to business ethics. Business ethics looks at the moral principles that companies should comply with, such as honesty, transparency and care for the environment.

During the annual summer school on religion, culture and society, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers attend classes taught by international experts and present their own research.

How do we achieve an optimal balance between economy, technology, ecology and society? That was the key question of the Trends Chair in Economics of Hope at the University of Antwerp, which was working on a social, ecological and meaningful economy between 2020 and 2023.

UCSIA partnered on an innovative mobility model in higher education. The Erasmus+ project UNICORN (2019-2022), sought to link international student mobility with service-learning for a unique learning experience.

UCSIA is a member of FUCE, the European Federation of Catholic Universities. Since 2019, UCSIA has been working with this network to develop an annual summer school on European humanism. The five-day programme brings together undergraduate students from different academic and cultural backgrounds. In these times of Euroscepticism, the history of European integration is often forgotten. Therefore, we go back to the roots of the European project: the shared European values and the cultural, religious and philosophical foundations on which the EU was built. From there, we search for a new European identity, a new European citizenship and a future for Europe.

The UCSIA-IJS Chair promotes the study of the history of Judaism and Hebraism from the perspective of Jewish-Christian dialogue. From this point of view, we interpret the place of this tradition in contemporary European culture and interfaith culture.

The fund focuses on researchers from the Global South who will benefit from a stay at the University of Antwerp for their research and expertise in their country of origin, and for the staff members involved at the University of Antwerp and UCSIA. The fund launches a project call to which researchers can apply, usually for a research stay of about ten months.